Agenda item

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Cabinet Member for Education and provided an update on progress of the School Modernisation Programme to date, with details of the proposed next phase of the review including consultation taking place from June 2015 to June 2016.

The School Modernisation Programme was required because there was a need to:

·         Ensure education provision was both high quality and sustainable;

·         Improve the quality of school buildings and facilities;

·         Provide the right number of school places, of the right type, in the right locations;

·         Address unsustainable school buildings and supporting infrastructure;

·         Recognise that doing nothing meant higher pupil teacher ratios as funding reduced; and

·         Ensure that external funding through the Welsh Government’s (WG’s) 21^st Century Schools Programme could be maximised

The key criteria for modernisation which underpinned the details above were:

·         Educational improvement;

·         Resilient school leadership;

·         Suitable buildings;

·         Unfilled places; and

·         Diminishing resources

There were 17% of surplus places in primary schools with the national and local target being to reduce that to under 10%.

On the issue of funding, the Cabinet Member added that the WG funding criteria for 21^st Century Schools Programme would only fund modernisation projects.  Refurbishments or maintenance projects were not eligible for a grant. However, it was important to note that new schools would not be possible in all areas.

Agreement was sought for formal consultation on closure and other school organisation options for the following schools by September 2016:

·         YsgolMaes Edwin

·         YsgolLlanfynydd

·         YsgolMornant, Gwespyr Picton

In addition, approval was sought for an area review of the following schools which would follow the process outlined in paragraph 3.04 of the report:

·         Area 1 – Brynford CP School Lixwm CP School and Ysgol Rhos Helyg, Rhosesmor

·         Area 2 – Nercwys VA School (in relation to faith and community school capacity)

The Chief Officer (Education and Youth) explained that this was a clear example of austerity having an impact on schools and community services which then required difficult decisions to be made.  He provided an assurance that each of the schools identified in the report did meet the trigger criteria for review.  The decision required today was for that review to commence which would include a dedicated approach to consultation with children and young people, consultation with governors, staff, parents/carers and other stakeholders.

A number of questions had been raised at the recent meeting of Education and Youth Overview and Scrutiny Committee which covered:

·         The community impact, particularly on rural communities;

·         The possible increase in school transport;

·         Was 10% of surplus places realistic in all areas;

·         Would a change in school organisation meet future demand; and

·         What would the impact be on the Welsh language and the Welsh language education

An assurance had been given at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting that each of the issues would be looked into and reported back.  A further report and options appraisal would then be submitted to Cabinet for consideration.

The Cabinet Member for Waste Strategy, Public Protection and Leisure asked if approving the commencement of a review could potentially exacerbate the issue with less parents choosing to send their children to the schools identified in the report.  Also, he felt it was easier to move children to a different school in an urban framework that it was in a rural area based on distance and transport.  He also asked how much work had been undertaken on predictions for future school places.

The Chief Officer (Education and Youth) explained that Members would not be asked to take a decision on school modernisation unless officers were confident that there were sufficient school places in the area for current pupil numbers and future learners based on the projections carried out.  A full environmental impact assessment and transport appraisal would be carried out prior to a future report being submitted to Cabinet.  On whether the issue could be exacerbated, the Chief Officer explained that a high level of professionalism from individual schools was expected during the process and stressed the importance of communication and remaining confident during the process which the Council would help to support.

The Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance commented on the recent review undertaken on the 6^th form provision at Flint where the number of surplus places had in fact reduced following the community working together to retain that facility.

The Cabinet Member for Economic Development said there had been a reluctance from some rural villages in the past to have housing developments in their village which in turn had a knock on effect on the numbers of pupils attending the village schools.

The Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance clarified that if the report was agreed, consultation would begin and end on 19 October with a report being submitted to Cabinet in November. He emphasised that the situation the Council was faced with was as a direct result of continuing cuts from Central Government and WG.  Two things were needed which were (1) an understanding of the impact of funding reductions and (2) exploration with the school community on how the funding reductions could be mitigated against.

The Chief Officer (Education and Youth) added that the report to Cabinet in November would include a financial appraisal on the situation for school communities as well as details on federations. 

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment asked if the data was available to show the numbers of children who chose not to go to one of the schools listed in the report when it was their nearest school.  The Chief Officer (Education and Youth) said that information could be collated for each address in the areas concerned.

The Chief Executive emphasised the importance of the review keeping to the timescales laid out in the report to reduce any risk during the time the review was taking place.  He also reiterated that decisions had not been made and were not pre-determined and concurred with the comments of the Leader on the situation with 6^th form provision at Flint.

The Cabinet Member for Education added that a question had been asked at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting whether the school admissions policy could be changed to direct children to their nearest school.  However, by law, parents had the choice to send their children to a school which was not their nearest one so the policy could not be amended.

The Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance said the Cabinet expected the following:

·         Consultation to be carried out to all affected;

·         What would the situation be the status quo remained; and

·         How the funding issues could collectively be mitigated.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the progress for Band A of the 21^st Century Schools Programme be noted; and

(b)       That the implementation of reviews from June 2015 to June 2016 be approved.